"Umbrella Music Group Releases a New Mixtape" isn't exactly a novel headline at this point. UMG has been one of city's most prolific rap collectives for years now, and certainly one of the most consistent. The group's latest free mixtape, though, stands out even by their own high standards. Spotlighting core rappers Prophetic, Ka$h and Yo-Dot, UMG's Coffee is For Closers, posted for download here, ranks as one of the crew's tightest, most inspired and most cohesive releases yet.
More importantly, it's probably also the best introduction yet for listeners curious about the crew often lauded as the great white hope of the Milwaukee rap scene. Their chemistry is on full display here, with each rapper's roll now clearly distinguished: Prophetic is the unflappable, right-brained entrepreneur; Ka$h the tightly wound, party-starting braggart; and Yo-Dot the hot-headed, street-minded roughian.
Sonically, UMG settles into a consistent, focused groove here, eschewing the jarring club cuts that peppered past releases for a set of straight '90s throwbacks. Overt interpolations of Outkast's "Elevators" and Souls of Mischief's "93 til Infinity" are complemented by aesthetic nods to Death Row, Roc-a-Fella and Rawkus, whose renaissance, late-'90s Soundbombing compilations the mix often recalls. UMG have set the bar mighty high for the rest of their year with this one.
